Change is in the Air

Many new experiences await us as we begin a new term at the American English Institute. With this new term, many changes will take place in our work and our lives. We'll have different schedules and obligations. We'll be meeting new people, who will ultimately impact our lives. We'll face challenges. We'll face moments of glory. We'll get busy, frustrated, tired. More than anything, we'll evolve from the experiences we're about to have. We'll be changed. For the better.

Approaching a new term is always exciting. This term, I'm teaching on online teacher training course through our eLearning program, as well as Oral Communication Skills 2 for our Intensive English Program. These are two courses that I have taught before, and am comfortable teaching and passionate about.

Webskills is a course focused on integrating technology into language teaching. Each time I teach this course, I'm amazed by how much I learn from the participants, who are all educators from all over the world. In ten short weeks of online work together, we will build a collaborative and productive learning community through the use of online tools. Participants will be learning about online tools and using them to enhance their own teaching practices. They will take these tools into their classes using dynamic, interactive activities. Their teaching will change and their learners will to. I'm fortunate enough to be able to share in this experience. I'll get to hear about all the changes that are taking place in classrooms worldwide. It's exhilarating!

Oral Communications Skills 2 (OCS 2) is a high-beginner listening and speaking course for international students striving to enter an American University. Most would like to enter the University of Oregon. This course is near and dear to me because I designed the curriculum. I lead six other teachers, who also teach this level. A couple of major changes are taking places in OCS 2 this term. We are adopting a new textbook, Pathways: Listening, Speaking, and Critical Thinking, which is a series created by National Geographic and Cengage Learning. I'm very excited to see where this series takes us! Also, I've implemented an extensive listening program into the course. Students are required to listen to a resource of their choice for at least an hour outside of class each week and report about it in a listening log. I'm hoping that this program will help increase students' learner autonomy and contribute to their motivation for listening to English. A lot of the students in OCS 2 just arrived to the United States. They will arrive scared, tired, and unsure of themselves. By the end of the term, they will transform into confident speakers and listeners of English, ready to continue on to the next level and eventually the university.

All of these changes are taking place as the seasons make a change. Summer is rapidly fading and fall is making a grand entrance with cool air and vibrant colors. I feel motivated. I feel ready for these changes and am excited to see where all the new experiences and new people take me!

What's changing for you?

How will these changes impact your life?